Wyatt Cushman, Staff Writer |
Football season is finally back and that means that it’s fantasy football time: A time for friends to compete against one another for ultimate bragging rights, a time for people to come up with absolutely ridiculous names for their teams, and a time to propose that trade you know isn’t fair at all, but you’re hoping your friend will accept anyways. So whether you won it all last year or you came in dead last in your league and had to get a crazy tattoo, a new season is here and anything can happen.
In Week One, we saw a few rookies shine in their debuts, and a few stars be virtually ineffective. Kansas City running back Kareem Hunt had the best week of any fantasy player. After a fumble on his first career carry, he went on to rack up 148 yards on the ground, 98 receiving yards, and had three total touchdowns against the defending champs, the Patriots. Fellow rookie Leonard Fournette ran all over the Houston Texans defense. He had 100 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries in his first NFL action. Some underwhelming performances in Week One included the first two players probably selected in a lot of leagues. David Johnson had just 23 yards rushing before injuring his wrist in the third quarter of his team’s game in Detroit and Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell couldn’t find any holes in Cleveland as he had 10 carries for only 32 yards. But now it’s time to look towards Week Two. Here’s a few players I think you should start, and a few I think you should keep on your bench this Sunday.
Start ‘em: Brandin Cooks WR, Patriots – Cooks put up respectable numbers against a good Chiefs defense a week ago with 88 receiving yards. This week he faces a Saints secondary who has struggled against all offenses for a few years now. The rest of the Patriots receivers are dropping like flies and you have to think Tom Brady will look to bounce back from a Week One loss. I expect Cooks to have a big day in the Big Easy as he faces his former team for the first time.
Start ‘em: Marshawn Lynch RB, Raiders – Lynch looked good with 76 yards in his first game back from retirement. Beast Mode had some crucial first down carries to close out the game for Oakland. In Week Two, Lynch will face a Jets defense who gave up 190 yards rushing to the Bills. With one of the best offensive lines in football, Lynch is setup for a big game.
Sit ‘em: T.Y. Hilton WR, Colts – Hilton had three catches for 57 yards on Sunday against the Rams, but the Colts were blown out in L.A. My reason for not playing Hilton against the Cardinals in Week Two is simple: the Colts do not have a reliable man throwing him the ball. Andrew Luck is still out with a shoulder injury, and Scott Tolzien looked bad and was benched for Jacoby Brissett in the second half. Nobody knows who will start at quarterback for Indy in Week Two, but either way it’s not a recipe for success for a Hilton fantasy owner.
Sit ‘em: Carlos Hyde RB, 49ers – Hyde is the lead back once again in San Francisco this season. The former Ohio State Buckeye had just 45 yards on nine carries in Week One against Carolina’s defense. This week he faces an even better group in Seattle who didn’t give up huge numbers to the Packers. With no passing game to help him, Hyde is expected to have a pretty quiet day.
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